I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 692 - 3: Protagonist (2)

Upon witnessing this scene, Mourinho closed his eyes, turned around, and displayed a composed demeanor.He knew, it’s alright.

Even though the shot didn’t go in, it would massively boost Real Madrid’s morale and make Atletico Madrid walk on thin ice.

There’s a saying in football.

One-goal lead is the least secure...

"It hit the crossbar!"

"De Gea didn’t touch the ball."

"The ball hit the crossbar on the way down and bounced out."

"De Gea got hold of the ball before Kaka."

"He must have been scared out of his wits by Chen Zhong’s shot."

"No worries, stay calm, only 11 minutes have passed, there’s still time."

Chen Zhong wasn’t too concerned about not scoring. He clapped his hands vigorously, loudly shouting the names of the Real Madrid players around him, boosting the team’s spirit, while the players eyed Atletico Madrid’s players fiercely in response to Chen Zhong’s shouts.

Their gazes were extremely aggressive, as if saying!

Hurry up, don’t drag it out! Kick-off! We’re going to crush you!

"Slower! Slower!" Diego Simeone shouted loudly on the sidelines, and his shout was met with boos from Real Madrid fans.

What?

You FW!

You’ve only scored one goal, the match is only about 10 minutes in, and you’re already stalling?

Diego Simeone couldn’t care less about those voices, and Atletico Madrid players firmly followed his instructions, which resulted in Real Madrid not getting another good chance to score for 5 minutes.

However...

Atletico Madrid is not known for ball control, holding the ball for 5 minutes may have been their limit.

"Khedira intercepted the ball."

"Chen Zhong pointed to the flank."

"Khedira passed the ball to Marcelo!"

Atletico Madrid quickly sprang into action, they knew what Real Madrid intended to do, and so did Real Madrid, while the fans in the stands were also well aware of Real Madrid’s plans.

Real Madrid had now switched to a 4-4-2 formation, with Alonso and Khedira in the middle, and Chen Zhong and Benzema at the front, they decided to go for cross-passes or deep crosses down the flanks, given the heavy defense Atletico Madrid had in the midfield.

Atletico Madrid attempted to intercept Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo.

But the two worked together incredibly smoothly.

"Marcelo takes the ball."

"C. Ronaldo!"

"The coordination between the two is very seamless."

"C. Ronaldo gets the ball, performs a stepover."

"Backheels the ball to Marcelo."

"Marcelo dribbles."

"Very fast!"

The partnership between Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo on this flank might not rank in the top ten defensively in La Liga, but in terms of attack, it could potentially be in the top five globally.

Their synergy was excellent, achieving the effect of 1+1 being greater than 2.

Cristiano Ronaldo, after drawing the attention of Atletico Madrid players inwards, did a stepover and backheeled the ball to the forward-moving Marcelo.

Marcelo dribbled directly.

Outpaced veteran Thomas Ufalusi.

The Czech player, who failed to keep up with Marcelo in the first step, could only watch Marcelo from the back then.

Diego Simeone on the sidelines immediately sensed something was not right because he saw Real Madrid’s three ghosts knocking on the door, no, four ghosts knocking on the door.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Chen Zhong, Kaka...

Lined up to charge towards Atletico Madrid’s penalty area, while Marcelo’s path to cut inside was blocked, and there were players covering the triangle pass to Cristiano Ronaldo’s line.

He could only choose a low pass to the center, a high pass to the center, or halt briefly and then chip it to the center for a teammate later.

So, locking down the center was the key to stop them.

Diego Simeone thought it through well, and Mourinho glanced at the excited Diego Simeone, his lips curling slightly.

But the problem is, can you defend against Chen Zhong?

"Marcelo chose to go down the line."

"Completely uncatchable."

"Multiple players pressing forward!"

"Marcelo takes a shot!"

"Cross!"

This was a parallel line.

Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid players mingled together.

Goding and Dominguez immediately judged the landing point of the ball, and at the same time, they saw the man they least wanted to see...

Chen Zhong!

Damn it!

How is his reaction so quick?

Goding and Dominguez, one with a height of 188CM and weight of 79KG, the other 189CM and 83KG, were not lacking in height and weight as center-backs, but neither were they top-notch.

The two of them flanked Chen Zhong on the left and right, trying to disturb his header.

You press down, I’ll contend in the air.

After a brief eye exchange, the two Atletico Madrid players agreed on their strategy.

Goding used his back to press against Chen Zhong, while Dominguez placed his hands on Chen Zhong’s shoulders, interfering with his jump.

However, they misjudged one thing.

While Chen Zhong’s long shots had gained fame in the football world, if you were to rank his football skills, Chen Zhong’s forte is actually physical confrontation.

If it comes to competing in the air, for a header and the like, after acquiring the two traits bestowed by Cristiano Ronaldo, his jumping and hang time abilities were enhanced.

Thus, a fresh masterpiece of the world was born.

Goding, Chen Zhong, and Dominguez moved towards the ball’s landing point.

Then Goding leaned back, and Dominguez reached forward.

However, Chen Zhong seemed to fly, performing a magnificent leap from a standing start.

When Goding leaned back, his head reached Chen Zhong’s thighs, while when Dominguez stretched his hands, they barely reached Chen Zhong’s butt.

No way, he’s jumping now?

Jumped too early, right?

Goding and Dominguez were shocked by Chen Zhong’s extraordinary jumping ability, this height was over two meters, wasn’t it!

But then, they felt a bit relieved, because you can’t possibly have incredible physique, exceptional jumping, and also superior hang time, right?

Hang time is the duration of staying airborne.

"The ball is passing towards the penalty area!"

"Chen Zhong!"

"Leaping high!"

"Like a deity descending from heaven!"

"The height!"

"Header!"

When De Gea saw Chen Zhong jump, he was startled too, but like his teammates, he thought Chen Zhong jumped too early, the ball would just pass by, then Kaka would pick up the leftovers, so he adjusted his steps, prepared for Kaka’s follow-up shot.

However, De Gea soon sensed something was wrong.

No, hang time, you really have it!

Under the upward gaze of Goding, Dominguez, De Gea, and numerous fans, Chen Zhong leaped high, "pausing" in the air for about a second, perfectly waiting for the ball.

Then, it was...

De Gea’s steps turned chaotic, and Chen Zhong’s header, light as a feather, just grazed~

The ball made a mischievous hop, just evading De Gea’s upward-reaching hand, hopping into the goal~

"Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal! Scored!!!"

"Chen Zhong!"

"A supreme hang-time header, as if he’s flying at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium."

"See him leap high, like a deity descending, completing a beautiful header into the net under dual-marking!"

"How high did he just jump? Total height?"

"2.5 meters? 2.6 meters? It didn’t exceed 3 meters!"

"His judgment of the ball’s trajectory, and his jumping ability, he’s simply the strongest header king of this century!"

"1:1"

"Real Madrid has equalized the score."

"Chen Zhong completed a brilliant header goal."

De Gea knelt in front of the goal, filled with disbelief, while Goding and Dominguez looked at each other, eyes full of shock and confusion.

Diego Simeone on the sidelines, upon seeing Chen Zhong’s goal, leaned back as if hit by a bullet.

Whereas Mourinho waved his hand, tilted his mouth, looking arrogant and domineering.

Marcelo, after seeing Chen Zhong’s goal, was also a bit stunned.

Because only he knew that when he passed the ball earlier, it was actually a bit overhit, he already thought of it as a pass to the far-end Kaka, but Chen Zhong’s heavenly jumping ability just grabbed it!

After scoring, Chen Zhong ran past the kneeling De Gea on the ground, ran towards the goal, picked up the ball from the net, and ran back to the center circle.

At the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Real Madrid does not accept a draw.